It’s too easy to become jaded over things, experiences, or accomplishments. Sometimes we stash some cleverly written but cynical responses from movies and television, then use them on others. Or we just let those one liners replay in our head. Maybe that’s never happened in your life, but I live as a sinner, redeemed, but still a novice in sanctification.

Whether I watch Kelsey’s delight over having a friend lend her a stuffed Tigger, or see her sheer amazement when Daddy lets her carry his baseball cap, the wonder shows! Her lips turn up, her checks swell, making those dimples pop, and her eyes sparkle. So simple and sincere.

A friend sent me a California pastor’s blog about wonder. Here’s his research. “In Webster’s 1828 edition, wonder is described as, ‘that emotion which is excited by something new, unusual, great, extraordinary; something that arrests the attention by its grandeur or inexplicableness.’ Wonder in this sense only appears a couple of times in scripture. The Hebrew word “tamahh” is translated as wonder in the Old Testament; it means, ‘ to be amazed, to be astonished, to be astounded, to be stunned.’ The Greek word “thambos” is translated wonder in the New Testament, and it means, ‘amazement and astonishment.'” (Pastor Wayne Hoag)

Wonder over eating an ear of corn for the first time? I began to think about what causes me to experience wonder? What things fill my soul with amazement? Let me rethink my surroundings, my relationships, my Savior, lest I lose my wonder.

Nothing about an aging, jaded woman appeals to me — or to anyone else. I want to seek the wonder in three areas of life.

My surroundings? A no brainer! I need only open my eyes, breathe deeply of the mountain air, and watch the birds and bears who wander through by day and night.

My relationships? I thank the Lord daily for my husband and my family. God blessed me with two great sons who married fantastic women. I call them my daughters-in-love.

My Savior? May I always pause and think of Him as He “who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”